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PCO Legal License

You can use a PCO token to point to a legal license that defines the exact rights and responsibilities a steward has in the case of your project. These can and should go beyond the basic token mechanics.

We cannot advise you on exactly how to do this! The possibilities are endless, and as with any legal contract, you should get the advice of a lawyer, and make sure you are complying with the rules that apply to you.

What this page is intended to do is to illustratively suggest some things such a license might accomplish. (This help page is not intended to replace your own research.) Below we sketch, non-comprehensively, what a license might specify. Remember that this is just an example! It does not have to work like this, almost all of the terms could be different or more specific:

The Steward’s Rights & Responsibilities​

The possessor of the PCO token corresponding to an artwork (i.e., the steward) has temporary rights, but not permanent ones.

He or she may:

  • Possess the artwork
  • Display the artwork publicly
  • Profit from it, for example by including it in a paid exhibition

He or she may not:

  • Destroy the artwork
  • Sell rights to the artwork exceeding what they possess; e.g., cannot grant permanent licenses to the work to others
  • Alter the artwork or display it in an altered or mutilated form
  • Display the artwork except under certain conditions, as specified by the Creator Circle

The Creator Circles’ Rights & Responsibilities​

The Creator Circle may:

  • Define ABC conditions under which the work may be displayed and used (e.g., it may be physically exhibited only in South America; it must be stored under certain conditions to keep it safe and in good repair, if a physical work; access to see it must always be free to those who cannot afford to pay; stewards may created derivative works but may not allow others to do so; may only be exhibited at a list of approved galleries; etc., etc.)
  • Periodically alter ABC conditions by vote and communicate changes to the steward and or display them on a website.

The Creator Circle may not:

  • Establish new conditions (beyond ABC conditions) under which the work may be displayed and used
  • Revoke the PCO license or convert the work back to a traditional ownership scheme